Fernando Torres tips Liverpool for title

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres believes the current side have all the
credentials to make a significant contribution to the club's illustrious
history.

Raring to go: Fernando Torres could start Liverpool's first Premier League game of the year away to Stoke City on Saturday after the Spaniard claimed his club can a lift their 19th titlePhoto: GETTY IMAGES

The 24-year-old Spaniard is already a legend in his homeland after scoring the goal in the final of Euro 2008 which ended his nation's 44-year wait for a major trophy.

And after experiencing that emotional high Torres hopes to be able to have the same impact on Merseyside.

"Having won the European Championships with Spain I have experienced what it is like to be part of a generation of players that will never be forgotten," he said. "I think that the same could be said of this Liverpool team if we can win the league.

"If we can do it we will be remembered for many years in the hearts of Liverpool fans."

The club have not won the league title since 1990 but they currently top the table by three points from Chelsea and have finally emerged as realistic contenders after several disappointing seasons.

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Torres, who was such a success in his debut season with 33 goals, has missed much of this campaign with hamstring injuries and has yet to rediscover his top form.

But the team have coped well in his absence and the striker said that was due to the ethos created by manager Rafael Benitez, who himself has been missing from the touchline four matches after two operations for kidney stones.

"A Benitez team is never just about one player but about the group," way," said Torres, who is set to start against Stoke on Saturday after scoring as a substitute in the FA Cup victory at Preston - his first appearance since Nov 26.

"We have a solid unit that knows how to win games playing our way.

"We have beaten the big teams without me and on occasions without Steven Gerrard, like the game against Manchester United [a 2-1 win in Sept].

"I think that was a positive for the team as a whole; it illustrated that importance of every player in the squad."

Torres added on the club's website, liverpoolfc.tv: "We are working towards the same goal of ensuring that Liverpool win the Premier League.

"If we are able to achieve this it will have been a joint effort - no one player will take the most credit. It is a group effort."